Spring Break 2012
LOOKDRAWTHINK
Right: This Morton Bay Fig is over 200 years old. Planted around 1798 it was most likely the gift of a visiting explorer from Australia or Southeast Asia. Pen and ink on mylar by Michael Sánchez Below: Field sketch from journal which informed and inspired the final rendering.
LA 4/508 Visual Notes for Landscape Architects Landscape Architecture University of Oregon Spring Break 2012 One-Week Intensive Workshop Instructor Michael Sánchez msanchez@uoregon.edu 541.285.5058
To draw is to look, examining the structure of appearances–a drawing of a tree shows not a tree, but a tree being looked at. ~ John Berger Drawing is a visual language and like may verbal languages it too has a vocabulary. As your vocabulary increases and you become more proficient, your ability to communicate improves. This course is designed as a two-part process. The first, is to learn the basics of a drawing vocabulary, thereby equipping you, the designer, with the tools necessary to effectively communicate graphically. For those less experienced, this part of the class will lay a foundation for future growth in drawing skills. For those more seasoned at drawing, this part of the class will be an opportunity to expand and stretch
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COURSE OUTLINE
your repertoire of drawing tools to become more proficient in visual literacy. Once you have learned the basic skills of freehand drawing, you can then use drawing as a tool for recording, researching and discovering, analyzing, observing and designing. This leads to the second part of the course where we will learn the art of taking visual notes beneficial to you as a designer. We will explore these methods through the medium of a sketchbook or journal. The intent of this class is not to produce “finished” pieces of work or beautiful drawings. It
Spring Break 2012
is not a product we search for, but a process, and you will learn by doing. The first part of this workshop will be spent in the art studio where we can focus on the skills that make for representational drawing: contour drawing, negative space, building sketches and applying tone and detail. We will then move into the field where we will take what we’ve learned in the studio and apply it to the environment through visual note-taking.
I have learnt that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen, and that when I start to draw an ordinary thing, I realise how extraordinary it is. ~Frederick Frank Through drawing exercises we will explore places and things, and generate solutions to common problems as we develop ideas for design. Complimenting our drawing exercises will be Francis Ching’s updated book, Design Drawing. A full bibliography of drawing and visual literacy will be provided. We will use basic drawing tools and materials, focusing mostly on ink and pencil. A final list of equipment and materials will be sent out a week before the workshop. Now... get ready to LOOKDRAWTHINK!
Visual Notes Thumbnails to the right are from Norman Crowe and Paul Laseau’s book Visual Notes for Architects and Designers. These journal examples show the importance not only of what is being recorded, but how that information is recorded. Ultimately, this information is to communicate what you’ve observed to yourself in order to inform future design decisions.
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COURSE OUTLINE
ScheduleSpring Break: MondayStudio:Freehand Drawing Conventions • Visual Vocabulary • Contour/Gesture Drawing • Hand/Eye Coordination • Values/Tone/Detail/Pattern • People/Landscape/Building TuesdayStudio:Visual Note-Taking Skills • Keeping a Journal • Record/Analyze/Design • How to build a journal in the field WednesdayField: Visual Note-Taking Experienced • On or near Campus (Weather influenced) ThursdayField: Visual Note-Taking Experienced • Downtown site to be determined (Weather influenced) FridayField: Visual Note-Taking Experienced • Site to be Determined (Weather influenced) Michael SánchezPracticing landscape architecture for the last 15 years, Michael has worked in California for Peter Walker and Partners and Van Atta Associates and currently works in Eugene for Schirmer Satre Group. With an undergraduate degree in landscape architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an MLA from University of Oregon, Michael’s focus and expertise has always been conveying excellent design through graphic communication.